What is mums? 

Mums is a kind of onomatopoeic word in Danish. You say it to describe a nice-tasting food, so it’s about equivalent to ‘yum!’ or ‘mmmm!’ in English.

That similarity makes it clear where this word comes from. It’s simply inspired by the appreciative sounds people tend to make while enjoying the perfect kanelsnegle (cinnamon roll), to use a tasty Danish example.

But like most parts of language, it can all change depending on the context, so you might say ‘mm, mums‘ in a sarcastic voice if someone mentions a distinctly un-appetising meal too.

Why do I need to know mums?

Danish has a similar related word to mums, also onomatopoeic and similarly best suited to informal use: namnam.

The two are almost interchangeable and quite babyish in their nature. Nevertheless, they are good alternatives to the classic dictionary translation of “tasty”, lækker. Lækker can mean a range of different things depending on context including “tasty” but also “high quality” and “sexually attractive”.

Another, more formal, alternative is velsmagende, literally “well-tasting”.

Examples

Mums! Den her småkager smager af mere.

Yum! These biscuits are very moreish.

Vi fik sushi og hvidvin på vores dateaften. Det var mums.

We had sushi and white wine on our date night. It was yummy.